Genesis 7:1 – 10:5 / 1Chronicles 1:5-7 / Genesis 10:6-20 / 1Chronicles; 1:8-16 / Genesis 10:21-30 / 1Chronicles 1:17-23 / Genesis 10:31-32
THE ONE
Genesis 7:1 says, “Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time.’”
GOD told Noah that he alone had been viewed as righteous. Remember that in Genesis 6:5, GOD had declared, “every intent of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually.” Thus, Noah had been completely surrounded and outnumbered by evil people. Ponder on how unthinkable that scenario would be if you were Noah. However, this one verse teaches us that even one person can live right even if that one person is surrounded by wicked people who love evil. This verse also reveals the fact that GOD’s love will extend out, even if only to one person. Are you willing to be the one? Even if you’re willing, how can someone live right while surrounded and outnumbered by wicked people who love evil?
To be righteous, a person:
- needs to do what’s right in all circumstances and base actions and reactions from the foundation of GOD’s Word;
- might be required to be alone and/or unpopular;
- needs to possess endurance in doing what is right regardless of the outcome.
Because Noah was found to be righteous, GOD spoke to Noah. GOD instructed him to build a large ship and then gather all the animals into the ship. That’s two simple steps; however, something that’s simple isn’t necessarily easy. And because 2Peter 2:5 states that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness,” it’s almost certain that while he had been constructing the ship, he likely preached to others, trying to warn them of what would happen if they didn’t repent from living wickedly and loving evil. And because 1Peter 3:20 describes that time period as “when the patience of God kept waiting,” it seems evident that the people refused to listen to Noah.
(1) Do what’s right in all circumstances while basing actions and reactions from the foundation of GOD’s Word:
Noah did his best to live a righteous life by living faithfully obedient to GOD’s commands. Everyone else had decided to live wickedly as if they were their own gods. In Noah’s time, evil was the plague with which everyone had been infected. And if Noah was the only one found to be righteous by GOD, do you think that Noah was popular with the wicked people? He was probably well known, but I am certain that Noah was a despised man. Typically, doing what’s right when others desire to do wrong makes you a despised outcast.
Scripture states that only a total of eight people were saved from the flood (Genesis 7:13; 2Peter 2:5). Many scholars have debated about how long it took Noah to build the ark, but consensus says he had about 100 years to complete it. That doesn’t mean it took him 100 years to complete construction, but that’s about how long he had to complete it before the flood ever occurred. Ponder on that. Noah spent perhaps 100 years preaching to others and doing what was right and getting shunned and doubted. Obviously, if only eight people were saved, that means that no one cared to listen to Noah. Think about that! Even after one single year of Noah preaching, the sinners to whom he preached hadn’t yet faced any consequences for their actions. So, why would they listen to Noah during the second year, the 10th year, or even the 50th year? Especially the 99th year! After decades of Noah preaching and constructing a ship in the desert, do you really think that he was popular for good reasons among all the wicked people? Those wicked people must have mocked him, laughed at him, called him crazy, and told him to be quiet and stop preaching, just accept them for who they are, stop judging them, etc. I wonder how many threats he received from those wicked people? Yet Noah continued to build the ship and preach the Truth of GOD’s Word.
Can you imagine Noah constructing the ark? There were probably piles of wood everywhere, tools here and there, unused scraps laying about, and an unfinished project that sat there on desert sand year after year with little progress each year. Noah most likely heard scoffers often say, “You’re crazy old man! You’re not making a difference, you’re making a mess! You’re just making a fool of yourself! Your GOD is not showing up! And where’s all this water you keep warning us about? You’ve been saying the same nonsense for years! Shut up already! You should just give this nonsense up and lock yourself up in an insane asylum! Or why don’t you just do everyone a favor and go kill yourself? Or maybe I should just put you out of your lonely misery that way I can use this wood to build a home for myself. We probably would kill you old man, but we think it’s hilarious watching you build this giant thing. The old man is sailing in the desert! HA!”
(2) You might be required to be alone and/or unpopular:
When wicked people doubt your message because they reject the Word of GOD, it would almost be expected that you would feel alone, unpopular, despised, and maybe even possess a feeling of hopelessness because nobody is listening and it feels like you don’t belong in this world. Satan typically uses those opportunities to infiltrate a person’s mind with doubt, fear, and hopelessness. Being a voice of reason amongst people acting unreasonable isn’t easy and can cause one to feel isolated. Feeling isolated in a populated place can be unfulfilling and potentially draining. Can you imagine the suffering Noah endured throughout all those years of isolation, verbal abuse from unbelievers, and a consistent desire to know when GOD was going to fulfill His promise? After all, the promised flood certainly was not happening. How many times do you think Noah might have questioned his calling? How many times do you think Noah asked GOD, “How long, Lord? How long will this take? How long will I have to wait?”
I can almost hear Satan asking Noah, “Did GOD really say He was going to flood the entire earth? Are you sure you’re supposed to build a ship this large? Shouldn’t you be done by now? Are you sure you’re not crazy like everyone keeps saying? What if they’re right and you’re wrong?”
If we allow doubt to drown the purpose of our calling, the feeling of loneliness can override the calling from His Holiness. But becoming obsessed with what people think about you is the quickest way to forget what GOD says about you. The feeling of loneliness can potentially cause you to throw away your calling in order to fit in with the crowd, to become conformed with the ways of this world. But GOD’s Word says we are not to be conformed to the ways of this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds according to GOD’s will (Romans 12:2). For this reason, the wise Dr. Seuss once said, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
If you allow wicked people to plant seeds of discouragement in your life, those seeds will grow into weeds that will strangle the life out of you at your roots. Noah had to keep his focus on his calling and not the crowd, to keep his focus on the Truth of GOD’s Word rather than the devil’s lies. Again, the goal is simply stated, but not always easily executed and achieved. Simplicity is not often achieved easily.
(3) Faithfully endure until the end:
Longevity. Persistence. Never giving up. Always do what’s right regardless of the danger or fear involved. This is the most difficult part about living righteously. People often quit too soon. Sometimes, the hardest choice and the right choice are one and the same. To be someone special and set apart as a vessel for holy purposes, you must set yourself apart from others and declare yourself as someone who has been called by GOD for righteous purposes.
If being chosen means going against the flow (like a salmon swimming upstream), then do exactly that. Salmon fish are unlike many other fish because they live in both fresh water and salt water. Not only that, but a salmon will travel hundreds to thousands of miles in order to do what they must do – be fruitful and multiply. Wouldn’t you agree that swimming hundreds to thousands of miles is not an easy task to accomplish even though the description as it is stated sounds simple? Not only do these fish continue to swim mile after mile, these anadromous and persistent fish will go against the flow and swim upstream to do what they know is right. Going against the flow is sometimes the only way to go. Yes — it will be difficult and sometimes dangerous or even deadly, but it can be quite rewarding as well.
Living a righteous life is like swimming upstream and facing the danger of bears, but it is what’s right. Bears will wait where tiny waterfalls are located in order to catch the salmon who are attempting to leap up in their efforts to continue swimming upstream. Satan and his demons are like the bears and we are like the salmon. Evil waits until we are off balance in order to knock us down. Evil waits until we are out of our comfort zone in order to intimidate us into going back inside. Evil positions itself at the most difficult spots in our journeys in order take us out of our journey. Some salmon will see the bear up ahead, allow fear to overtake them, and decide to give up; likewise, some Christians see the challenge ahead, allow doubt and fear to overtake them, and they give up. Our sinful society will try to fill your head with doubt and fear and attempt to conquer your good with their evil; however, GOD’s Word tells us that we are called to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
Being faithfully obedient for decade after decade while being mocked and unappreciated can wedge room within your thoughts for doubt to grow and maybe even depression to set in. But you must never give up; we must faithfully endure until the end. Most great things in life were achieved over a long period of time. As the saying goes, Rome was not built in a single day; likewise, a large ark required years for its proper construction.
But why did Noah have to build an ark in order to be saved? First and foremost, it required faith and GOD is pleased by our faith. In addition, Noah was also in the act of helping to save others. He was being saved, but he was helping to save others as well. Noah saved his family and all of those animals so that creation could flourish once again. That’s symbolic for us — the only way to rise to the top is to be the most righteous person you can possibly be. Again, we do that by acting in faithful obedience to GOD’s commands. We are not to be righteous in order to claim superiority over others but to simply be righteous for the sake of holiness because that’s who GOD created us to be (Leviticus 19:2; 20:26; Ephesians 5:27; 1Peter 1:15-16). Moreover, by our action of building our “ark,” we will be helping others rise to the top with us. Noah built an ark, but what is it that we should build? We should build a ship of devotion to Love, to GOD. How do we build our ship? By using all the necessary tools: Reputation, character, honor, integrity, honesty, purity, morals, principles, faith, etc. If you build your ship of devotion with the indestructible and eternal gifts of the Spirit that GOD provides, then you will rise to the top when all others drown in the consequence of their own wickedness. Why did the others drown? Because they did not build an “ark!” Nothing they built in life was built by faith in the Lord. Not only did they not build an “ark” of faith, but they refused to join Noah in his ark. All the wicked people tied anchors of sin to themselves — anchors of murder, misery, anger, violence, lies, hatred, lust, etc. They drowned because they tied themselves down with the anchor of Unnecessary Burden, which is pride.
We should all declare a friendly competition between ourselves of being the most righteous. Make it your goal to be the most righteous person you can possibly be at all times! The clock is ticking. After all, we are once again in the days of Noah with him being in the beginning and us in the end. Every unproductive second that goes by is another moment of time in which someone else could be boarding the ship of faith. Now, of course, righteousness is not a true competition as if we could actually win. We’re not to strive to be better than others. That vanity will only build our pride. Rather, we are to strive to be better today than we were the day before. We are all in a purification process. Our righteousness is credited to us through our faith, which is evident by our fruit. If we are all living this calling out rightly, we will all be building each other up while building a ship of devotion to the Lord. Rise above in love!
Noah was righteous because he built the ark by faith (Hebrews 11:7). The ship took decades upon decades of time to complete. Noah wouldn’t have been able to build that ship of devotion unless he had also built up his faith in the process. Without faith, it’s easy to give up. In fact, without faith, it’s impossible to please GOD (Hebrews 11:6). The path to success is always under construction until it’s complete. Ensure to find ways to build your faith. And ensure to do what’s right and never give up. Remember: it’s better to suffer [unjustly] for doing right, if that should be GOD’s will, than to suffer [justly] for doing wrong (1Peter 3:17).
Only eight people were saved due to Noah’s faithful endurance over decades of work. Ponder on that. That doesn’t seem like he made much of a difference, does it? What we do may not seem like it amounts to much, but the impact of what we do always has a much farther reach than we realize. Only eight people were saved from Noah’s century-long efforts. But how many people exist in the world today because of those eight? All people who ever existed since him and all people who currently exist. The lesson to be learned is that it never seems as if we are making a difference while we are in the process of making a difference. And even if we don’t feel qualified to do what we have been called to do, GOD is with us and that’s all that really matters. After all, if GOD is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?
Remember: the ark was built by an amateur and the Titanic and many other professional ships that have sunk in the sea were all built by “experts”. But remember also that you can make a difference by merely smiling and showing others what it looks like to be a child of GOD. After all, we will be known as disciples of Christ due to our love (John 13:35). There are many ways to make a difference, but faithful obedience and faith-filled endurance is required to make a big difference. Therefore, faithfully endure in love. Never give up. Noah’s ark was the hope. Faith was required to continually build the hope. But it was necessary to continually build the faith while building the hope. Hope does indeed float and rise above while others choose to drown in their sins.
Are you building your hope in GOD’s promised Word of our future? Are you building your faith while building your hope? Do you desire to make a difference? Then be righteous. Even if you build your faith and your hope, you must be willing to trust GOD for the results and take action based upon your faith.
In conclusion, the three main points previously mentioned about making a difference according to righteousness can be opened up and expanded out to seven steps to making a difference. The following seven steps reveal the order of the three main points: (1) Seek GOD; (2) know GOD; (3) faithfully obey GOD’s Word; (4) faithfully endure in your obedience; (5) enter the ship of His covenant and be sealed within; (6) be patient and allow GOD to work in His perfect timing; and (7) always be ready to leave your comfort zone of your current dwelling space so that you will be able to step out into your new purpose.
If Noah can be one who is righteous, then so can you. And in the last days when we will all be surrounded and outnumbered by wicked people who love evil, it will be of utmost importance that we follow those seven steps so as to enter the narrow door and not experience the judgment outside.
IT’S TIME
Genesis 7:1-5 says, “1 Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. 2 You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; 3 also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” 5 Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.”
Noah was instructed to take every clean animal of male and female by the sevens, but every unclean animal, by only two. The mention of clean versus unclean animals is a strange distinction to make at this point in the story because the details of clean and unclean animals are described later after the Mosaic Law is given (Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14). However, as we will later see, Noah possessed an early awareness of the sacrificial system (Genesis 8:20) just as Cain and Abel had an awareness (4:4). All throughout the Bible, the number seven symbolizes perfection, wholeness, holiness, or completion. Just as GOD created and then ceased/rested on the seventh day (which symbolized completion and perfection of His first design, thereby making that seventh day a holy day), the story of Noah and the flood describes the totality of all animals being collected and highlights the clean animals for some type of holy purpose, however, that purpose has not yet been revealed at this point in the story. And GOD waiting “seven more days” before starting the flood represents the fact that GOD waited the complete and perfect amount of time necessary for people to repent.
The fact that GOD emphasized three times the design of male and female reveals high importance and something that must be remembered. And so yet again, GOD emphasizes that the design of male/female is the only design He will ever bless. The three-times emphasis will be seen later all throughout the Bible as well. For example, three times a year the Israelites were to celebrate a feast unto the Lord and all the males were to appear before the Lord (Exodus 23:14,17; 34:23-24; Deuteronomy 16:16); in fact, the Pentateuch emphasizes that command three times.
The flooding itself would occur for 40 days and 40 nights. The number 40 symbolizes the period of time for a probation, trial, testing, or judgment. For example, we will later see that Moses spent 40 years in Egypt (Acts 7:23), 40 years in his own wilderness with his family prior to the Exodus (Exodus 7:7; Acts 7:30), and then the Israelites ate manna for 40 years (Exodus 16:35) and wandered the wilderness for 40 years (Numbers 14:33-34; 32:13; Deuteronomy 2:7; 8:2; Joshua 5:6; Psalm 95:10; Amos 2:10). Thus, Moses endured three periods of 40 years and then died at 120 years of age (Deuteronomy 34:7). It is also written that Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on the mountain with GOD prior to coming down with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:18; 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9,25). Judges 8:28 states that Israel had 40 years of peace; however, Judges 13:1 says that because the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord yet again, the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years as a period of judgment. And we will also later see that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness while Satan tried to tempt Him (Mark 1:13) and there was a 40-day period of time between His resurrection and His ascension into Heaven (Acts 1:3).
When I had been 30 years of age, one day while I was hiking in the woods, praying about my purpose in ministry, the Holy Spirit told me that I had to go through my testing of 40. Well, I’m now 41 years of age and so I am expecting by faith for something to happen this year that had not happened in my previous 40 years. And I’m staying in the Word with that faith-filled expectation so as to be ready when it happens. But what about you? After all, we are in the last days; we’re in the days of Noah. Genesis 7:5 says, “Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him.” If you hear from the Lord today, are you ready to do the same?
THE FLOOD
Genesis 7:6 says, “Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth.”
Was the flood worldwide or was it an isolated local flood? Again, if we study the Bible as a whole, then Scripture clearly informs us that the flood must have been worldwide (and not in an isolated local area) because the flood had not only been described in universal terms, but the size of the ark suggests preparation for population larger than an isolated area, the duration of time (over one year) indicates an extremely large area from which the water would need to evaporate/recede, the mountains had been covered, and the nature of the flood was for worldwide judgment (kataklumos; catastrophe) in which all people and animals were destroyed. Genesis 7:21 says, “All flesh that moved on the earth perished.” That word translated into English as “all” is the Hebrew כֹּל [H3605] kōl (kole), which means all, the whole, totality, or everything. Further, if it had been an isolated local area, that area would have been identified (such as Sodom and Gomorrah were named for their destruction). Further, GOD had promised to never do it again, which suggests it could not have been an isolated area because GOD has most certainly flooded isolated areas since that time. And finally, the word translated into English as “earth” is the Hebrew אֶרֶץ [H776] ‘ereṣ (eh’-rets), which means “land” but can also mean the entirety of all land. For example, Psalm 24:1 uses this word while saying, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.” And so that implies all people in all places. Jeremiah 10:12 says, “It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.” And this, of course, refers to the creation in the beginning, which refers to the entire earth; in fact, the word is used in Genesis 1:1 and states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Therefore, the flood was worldwide and not an isolated local flood.
Moreover, Jesus also spoke of Noah and the flood as being a true historical event and used it as the parallel for the end times (Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 3:36; 17:26-27). In addition, Noah and the flood are written as being historical in Hebrews 11:7; 1Peter 3:20; and 2Peter 2:5-6; 3:1-7. And if the flood — a judgment upon all people — was only in an isolated area, how did all people in all places experience judgment? And if the flood of water is the parallel for the judgment of fire at the end of days, would that also only be an isolated area? And if so, why would the entire earth be destroyed? Why would we receive a New Earth and a new heavens (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1)? The parallel in focus is judgment. Genesis 7:16 says that the Lord is the One who closed the door behind Noah. All people outside the ark were judged for their wickedness just as all people outside of Jesus’ blood will be judged for their wickedness. For this reason, Jesus used stories of people being locked outside and thus not saved (Matthew 25:1-13; Mark 4:11-12; Luke 13:23-30). Therefore, the flood must have been a universal judgment. But is there evidence for a worldwide flood? Fossil records might argue in its favor due to discoveries on mountaintops throughout the world where those fossils truly had no other reason to be discovered in such an elevated location. In addition, more than 200 different cultures on all continents have stories about this type of devastating flood. If it had been an isolated local flood, then it was local for all people in all places, which means it was a worldwide flood.
Genesis 7:11 says, “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.”
Genesis 8:2-3 says, “2 Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; 3 and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased.”
Genesis 8:14 says, “In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.”
So, where did all the water come from and where did it go when it went away? Well, it came from the great depths below and it all went back to the fountains of the great deep. That word “deep” is the Hebrew תְּהוֹם [H8415] tehôm (teh-home’), which refers to the great depths below, or an abyss. It is the same word used in Genesis 1:2 when darkness was over the surface of the deep.
Genesis 1:6-8 says, “6 Then God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven.”
Genesis 2:5-6 says, “5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.”
So, it seems as though GOD, in His wisdom, designed the earth in such a way that He was able to pull up water reserves from the great depths below just as He pulls up lava from below whenever He chooses to do so. And because GOD had planned to design the earth this way, that tells me that in His omniscience, He knew He would have to flood the earth even before Adam was created. Therefore, the flood must be of great significance in His overall plan for humans. And as we will later see, the flood is indeed of great significance because baptism is connected to the flood. But that will be examined in depth at a later time in the chronological journey.
If there were to be a worldwide flood right now, would you be ready to enter into the ark through the door? Is there anyone you know who would be outside the ark and experience the judgment of GOD’s wrath? Spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord who would be outside the ark. Write those names down, pray for them, and maybe even go out of your way to show them love and share the Gospel with them.
GOD FORGOT?!
Genesis 8:1 says, “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark.”
Genesis 7:17 states that the water increased for 40 days, and 7:24 informs us that the flood water remained a total of 150 days. And then after five months, “God remembered Noah.” But how could GOD remember unless GOD forgot? Did GOD forget about Noah? No. Is it even possible for GOD to forget? GOD is perfection and so His memory is perfect. We often use a similar expression when we “remember” someone on his/her birthday, even though we had never forgotten he/she existed. That word simply means to bring to remembrance, to intentionally call to mind. In other words, GOD did not forget about Noah and never intended to leave him in the ark forever. When GOD “remembers” someone or something, He acts for either judgment (Revelation 16:19) or blessing (Genesis 30:22; 1Samuel 1:19-20). And because this remembrance refers to both good and bad, it should be viewed as a record to be reviewed. Just as human kings examined their written records so as not to forget (Esther 6:1), the One true King of kings examines His “book” as a record of rights and wrongs. In Malachi 3:16-18, a “book of remembrance” contains a list of all who fear the Lord – they’re all remembered, which means GOD never forgets them. In Noah’s scenario, it’s as if GOD reviewed His “book of remembrance.” In other words, it’s as if Noah was found to be in “the book of Life” (Revelation 20:11-15) and GOD “remembered” Noah for the purpose of blessing rather than judgment. In fact, Isaiah 49:15 informs us that GOD does not forget His saints. So, the phrase “God remembered Noah” is the same as saying, “God did not forget about Noah.” However, GOD had been silent for five months while Noah floated in an eerily silent inundated world where all voices had been drowned out. Can you imagine the silence? How would you have felt if you were Noah? Would you have felt like GOD forgot about you? What do you think Noah’s prayers sounded like during that period of silence? I imagine his prayer being something like this: “Lord, You told me to build this ark and gather the animals in here. I did everything You told me to do. But now where are You? It has been 149 days and yet You have been silent and I just continue to float above all the destruction below me. I have no idea what’s going on. How long must I wait? How long must I float on this sea of death, not knowing where I’m at or what I’m supposed to do? Lord, did you forget about me?”
However, it is written that GOD did not forget about Noah; in fact, Noah had always been in GOD’s thoughts and GOD was with Noah the entire time. So, what about you? Have you ever felt like GOD forgot about you? If you feel like GOD has forgotten about you, be assured He has not forgotten about you; in fact, there has never been a time when you have not been in GOD’s thoughts, and GOD is with you right now. But GOD’s perfect plan always requires GOD’s perfect timing. Therefore, if you feel like GOD has been silent in your life even though you have lived in faithful obedience to GOD’s commands, I exhort you to ride the storm out and continue to live in faithful obedience while your hope floats. In the Lord’s perfect timing, He will lead you to where you are supposed to be next. So, if you feel like GOD abandoned you in the ark, just know that GOD never intended to leave you in the ark forever. GOD has a plan. Trust in the Lord.
COVENANT FROM THE GOD OF SHEM
In Genesis 8:8-12, the use of the dove is most likely literal, but it also might be symbolic of the Holy Spirit being with Noah (a specific chosen person) and then being released into all the world. If so, it does accord with what we see in the Bible because in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit filled specific chosen individuals, and then in the New Testament, beginning at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer in the entire world. And because the Holy Spirit is represented by the dove during the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), it is a possibility.
Genesis 8:15-17 says, “15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’”
GOD told Noah to leave the ark after he had been in it for over a year. GOD also told him to release all he had gathered and relied upon, go build a new life and be fruitful in his new calling. The last step just might be the most difficult of them all. Are you willing to leave your comfort zone and safe way of living for a new calling upon your life? Are you willing to let go of everything you have gathered and relied upon in order to accept the new purpose GOD has for you? Only then will you be able to be fruitful.
Noah and his family stepped out of the ship onto an earth completely devoid of human life and Noah became the new “Adam” when GOD told him and his sons to be fruitful and multiply. Can you imagine looking at the desolation after the destruction and wondering how that new life without life could possibly be a promise to a blessing of future lives? But GOD had told Noah that He would make a covenant with him (Genesis 6:18). Now was the time.
Genesis 9:8-17 says, “8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 ‘Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.’ 12 God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; 13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ 17 And God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.’”
GOD made a “covenant” with mankind via the use of His “bow” as a sign, promising to never destroy the earth and population again with water. The word “covenant” is used seven times. Hence, the covenant would be complete, whole, perfect, and everlasting so long as the earth remained. The word “covenant” is the Hebrew בְּרִית [H1285] berîṯ (ber-eeth’), which means an alliance, pledge, treaty, constitution, or contract agreement. Every major covenant that GOD makes in the Pentateuch has a sign: Abraham’s covenant has circumcision (Genesis 17) and Israel’s covenant has the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11; 31:13,17; Deuteronomy 5:12-15). The sign assures us that GOD remembers His covenant and acts on our behalf. Noah’s covenant was GOD’s bow, which was mentioned three times. Thus, GOD’s bow is something of extreme importance that we need to know and remember. The word “bow” is the Hebrew קֶשֶׁת [H7198] qešeṯ (keh’sheth), which means a bow that an archer would use as a weapon. This is significant because seeing the rainbow in the sky is like seeing a hunter’s bow hung up on the wall. So long as that “bow” is hanging on the “wall,” the warrior who owns the bow is not using it and the creatures know they are safe from a worldwide flood.
Pause and ponder: why is the rainbow used as the flag of the LGBTQIA2S+ agenda? Knowing that the rainbow is one of the Lord’s weapons of judgment retired for a period of grace, Satan chose to use GOD’s promise of grace as a weapon against GOD’s children. This is the vile hatred and absolute evil of the devil. But not only does the rainbow represent GOD’s bow of judgment, it is written that the rainbow is also the appearance of the Lord’s glory that surrounds Him (Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 4:3). This means that Satan chose to use the colors of GOD’s glory as his militant flag of rebellion against the Lord. This is the pride and arrogance of the devil. Satan essentially said to GOD, “You were right to destroy the humans in the flood, but You should have destroyed all of them. There’s nothing good about them. They proved themselves unworthy of existence before the flood and they will certainly prove themselves to be worthless again – it’s only a matter of time. But because You refuse to destroy them, I will show You why they deserve to be destroyed. I will convince them to pick up the weapon You set down and then You will see why they don’t deserve Your grace. I will convince them to make a mockery of Your grace and they will use Your sign to represent what You declare to be an abomination. I will convince them to take Your bow and wave it pridefully, blaspheming Your name and Your grace. Then You will finally see that they are useless and pathetic creatures unworthy of existence, and that you never should have created them.”
Now, returning to the point in the story of Noah immediately after the flood, what did Noah do upon exiting the ark into his new destroyed and desolate domain? His first priority was to build an altar to the Lord, make a sacrifice, and communicate with GOD (Genesis 8:20). So, again, just as Abel had prior knowledge of the sacrificial system (4:4) that GOD would later command for the Israelites, Noah also shows prior knowledge of the sacrificial system as well. Noah’s first priority was to be in alignment with GOD’s will. His second priority was to be productive; he began farming and planted a vineyard (9:20). But for whatever reason, Noah somehow ended up getting drunk on the wine of his vineyard and was found naked inside his tent (9:21). This tells us that even righteous men of GOD can stumble into sin if they’re not careful. No one is exempt (1Corinthians 10:12)! But why did Noah get drunk? Was it an accident? Did he not realize the strength of the wine? Did he lose track of how much he drank? Did the deaths of all the other humans weigh heavy on his heart? Did he see what remained of dead corpses and/or bones all around? Was he trying to self-medicate? Did he intend on getting drunk or did he simply end up drunk because he didn’t know when to quit? Where is the line between right and wrong? How close should one get to that line? The sad reality is that our bad choices have bad consequences that often negatively affect people around us — especially family. Noah’s son, Ham, is the one who found Noah naked, but he failed to respect his father enough to cover him. But not only did Ham neglect to cover Noah, he also chose to go tell his brothers (Genesis 9:22). What’s interesting is that later connections seen in the Bible that may or may not apply to this specific situation. As in Genesis 19:30-38, drunkenness is connected with sexual immorality.
In a domino effect of disrespect and bad decisions, Noah cursed Canaan, the son of Ham (9:25). This curse will later be fulfilled in the book of Joshua when the Israelites enter the Promised Land and drive the Canaanites out. But what would have happened if Noah chose instead to correct rather than condemn? What if he chose to repent before reprimanding? What if he chose to forgive rather than fight? Noah lived another 350 years after the flood (9:28) — that’s a long time to be able to restore the relationship with Ham and Canaan. But that didn’t happen. How did Noah’s one decision to get drunk affect his family? How did Ham’s one decision to disrespect his father affect the future? Well, Canaan was cursed and eventually dispersed into Sodom and Gomorrah (10:18-19). Knowing this information, Noah’s curse might not have been an overreaction and might have been justified all along. Was there more to this story than meets the eye? Uncovering nakedness typically refers to dishonoring a close relative by partaking in immoral incestuous relations, which GOD condemns (Leviticus 18:6-18; 20:11-12,17,19-21). So, did Ham do more than merely look at his naked father? Did Ham perform some type of abhorrent homosexual act against his father? After all, Canaan eventually dispersed into Sodom and Gomorrah. As we will later see in Genesis 19, Sodom and Gomorrah will get destroyed because they were evil and the men desired to commit homosexual acts of rape against other males. The ramifications of Ham’s actions shines the light of truth onto the sad reality of consequences from the free will to live in sin: death and destruction.
In Genesis 9:26, Noah cursed Ham’s son, Canaan, “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.” It’s interesting that Noah specified that the Lord is the “God of Shem”, implying that the Lord is not the GOD of Ham or Canaan. Is there a reason for that? Genesis 10:6-20 goes on to list the descendants of Ham as being Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. From Cush comes Nimrod (10:8-9). Do you remember Nimrod? The Nephilim were described as “mighty men”, which is the Hebrew גִּבּוֹר [H1368] gibôr (ghib-bore’), and it refers to mere men who were mighty, strong, and valiant warriors. This is the same word used to describe Nimrod. In Hebrew, his name uses a verbal form meaning, “to rebel.” In fact, his name may suggest that he is “against YHWH.” And 10:10 says that the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon and then he expanded his territory to Assyria and built the city of Nineveh (10:11). As we will later see in this chronological journey, Babylon and Assyria will be GOD’s judgment against Israel and Judah; GOD uses wicked people to bring judgment against His children for their wickedness. And in the end, Babylon represents the devil’s children of this wicked world (Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:1-24). Therefore, Nimrod appears to be the antithesis of what GOD desires in that it’s not GOD’s will for humans to use their freedom of choice to acquire power for themselves in order to build kingdoms of their own that stand in opposition to GOD’s Kingdom. It is written in Genesis 10:14 that from Mizraim eventually comes the Philistines (Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7). And as we will later see, the Philistines become the archnemesis of Israel and a thorn in their side. In fact, Goliath is a Philistine and also a giant (1Samuel 17:4), just as the Nephilim were sometimes giants. And finally, it is written in Genesis 10:18 that from Canaan come the Canaanites. Again, as we will later see in this chronological journey, the Canaanites also will become one of the wicked enemies against Israel. And as previously mentioned, the Canaanite clans end up spreading out into different territories, with two of those territories being Sodom and Gomorrah (10:19). Thus, Ham’s descendants will become children of the devil who live wicked lives and love evil. However, it is written that from Shem comes Arphaxad, followed by Shelah, Heber, Peleg, and eventually Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, followed by Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David, and eventually Jesus (Genesis 10:22-25; 11:18-26; Luke 3:23-38). Hence, the Lord is the GOD of Shem, implying that the Lord is not the GOD of Ham or Canaan. Therefore, Noah’s curse was actually inspired prophecy that became fulfilled thousands of years later.
Ponder on this: GOD had declared Noah righteous even though He knew from His omniscience that Noah would end up getting drunk and unintentionally exposing himself naked to his son, Ham. And even though Noah sinned by getting drunk, the Holy Spirit still filled Noah once he became sober and inspired him to speak a prophecy regarding the blessed genealogy from which our Lord and Savior would come while also cursing the children of the devil. This truly showcases GOD’s love. Despite the fact that Noah sinned, the Lord still loved him and worked through him because He knew Noah’s heart in that he genuinely desired to do GOD’s will. Further, the fact that sin returned immediately after Noah got out of the ark and presented a sacrifice reveals mankind’s inability to save himself and how ineffective the sacrificial system will be when GOD eventually commands it for the Israelites. Noah was supposed to be the one who would give mankind rest from their work (Genesis 5:29), but in this new beginning, the reintroduction of sin reveals that there’s still a lot of work that must be done. So, who is the One who will finish all the work? (Hint: John 19:30)
Quest For Truth 